Harvey Weinstein asked Minka Kelly to be his ‘girlfriend’ during a business meeting
Minka Kelly got two big headlines late last week. One headline was about her current boyfriend, Jesse Williams. Most people believe that Minka and Jesse started seeing each other last year, when he was still very much married. Many people believe that Minka was the reason why – or one of the big reasons why – Jesse left his wife. Well, one of Minka’s Instagram followers commented on her one her posts: “I hope the cheating rumors aren’t true. It would be disappointing.” I don’t know why people feel the need to go on a celebrity’s social media and tell them that something they’re doing is “disappointing” but whatever. Maybe people do it because once in a blue moon, a celebrity actually responds, which is what Minka did. Minka wrote back to the follower: “They’re not. Hate for you to be disappointed. Glad I could clear that up for you. Now f–k off.” I’ll f–k off, for sure, but chica, you’re lying!!
The second headline was a bit more interesting than whatever shady, revisionist timeline she has going on with Jesse. The second headline was about Harvey Weinstein. Minka shared her Weinstein story on her Instagram too:
I met Harvey at an industry party. The following day, my agent said he wanted to see me for a general meeting. The location was set for his hotel room. I wasn’t comfortable with going to his room & said so. The following day, we sat down with an assistant in the hotel restaurant. He bullsh-t me for 5 minutes re: movies he could put me in, then asked the assistant to excuse us. As she walked away, he said, “I know you were feeling what I was feeling when we met the other night” and then regaled me with offers of a lavish life filled with trips around the world on private planes etc. IF I would be his girlfriend. Or, “We could just keep this professional.”
All I knew was not to offend this very powerful man and to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. I told him while flattered, I’d like to keep things professional. He said “Fine. I trust you won’t tell anyone about this.” I said “Of course not. Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me,” – the only way I could think to shut it down gracefully and excuse myself.
I immediately told my agent what happened. We marveled at his audacity, reinforced my instinct not to offend him & laughed at how glad I was to get out of there. Neither of us were that surprised as this wasn’t far off from the day-to-day bullsh-t of being an actress.
I’m sorry for obliging his orders to be complicit in protecting his behavior, which he obviously knew was wrong or he wouldn’t have asked me not to tell anyone in the first place. For making him feel ok about the gross things he was saying and that I felt my only route was to say I was flattered. For not insisting that my reps never allow anyone to take a meeting in a hotel room (with him or anyone else), because I honestly don’t know what might have happened if I’d just showed up as originally scheduled.
I am appalled for all the women being told these occurrences are in any way their fault. No more Harvey Weinstein in Hollywood does not solve the problem but maybe the more voices sharing their stories and adding support to the countless women and men who have suffered through abuse of power, the less it will be tolerated.
[From Minka’s Instagram]
With all of the stories coming out about Weinstein, I keep needing to keep myself at arm’s length so I won’t be so sad, disheartened and disgusted that Weinstein was allowed to do this for so long. So, I’ve been thinking a lot about victimology, and I’ve been thinking a lot about Weinstein’s varying modus operandi. The hotel meetings are key, and they feature is nearly every story, just as a common thread of “bathing/showering” exists. I find it interesting – the way I find episodes of Dateline interesting – that Weinstein wielded different degrees of flattery, threats, bribes, harassment and actual abuse, with seemingly no rhyme or reason. Did Minka “earn” a simple offer of bribery/harassment because she refused to meet him in the hotel room? Why that response, when the response would have been different if the actress had been (presumably) less of a celebrity? I don’t know. I really don’t. But I believe Minka. I bet Harvey also bragged about all of the famous women he slept with, because that also seems to be a common thread of his “seduction” technique. Ugh.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Source: Harvey Weinstein asked Minka Kelly to be his ‘girlfriend’ during a business meeting
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